If a common person met the procession, he was
expected either to retire quickly from the path or fling himself humbly on
his face until the carriage had gone by; if he did not, the samurai whipped
out their long swords and slew him in short order, and not a single word
was said about it. This way of dealing with those who did not belong to the
two-sworded class made the people very respectful to the samurai, and that
respect is now transferred to the police.
The Japanese policeman is also to be respected for his skill in wrestling,
and, small as he is, the tallest and most powerful foreigner is quite
helpless in his hands. He is thoroughly trained in the art of Japanese
wrestling--the jiu-jitsu of which we hear so much nowadays. In this system
a trained wrestler can seize his opponent in such a manner that the other
man is quite at his mercy, or with a slight impetus he can fling the other
about as he pleases. One writer speaks of seeing a very small Japanese
policeman arrest a huge, riotous Russian sailor, a man much more than six
feet high. It seemed a contest between a giant and a child. The sailor made
rush after rush at his tiny opponent, but the policeman stepped nimbly
aside, waiting for the right moment to grip his man. At last it came.
The sailor made a furious lunge, and the policeman seized him by the
wrist. To the astonishment of the onlooker, the sailor flew right over the
policeman's head, and fell all in a heap more than a dozen feet away.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86